Justice News

Idaho Residents are Targets of Telephone Scammers

Callers Threaten with Federal Arrest Warrant

BOISE – The United States Attorney’s Office and the United States Marshals Service are advising Idaho residents to be aware of telephone calls threatening individuals of a pending arrest warrant. During the call, unsuspecting citizens are given the choice to avoid a federal arrest warrant by paying a fine to settle out of court. The individual may be instructed to wire money. The caller may provide a false case number. Because the telephone calls are continuing to occur, the United States Attorney wants the public to be aware of these scam calls. Officers do not notify people of arrest warrants by phone. A valid arrest warrant would be served in person by a Deputy U.S. Marshal or other law enforcement officer. Persons receiving such a telephone call are cautioned not to provide any information and to notify the U.S. Marshals Service immediately.

It was recently reported that an Idaho resident received a phone call from a person claiming that the U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho had issued a federal warrant for the citizen’s arrest. The call came from someone who identified herself as “Leslie” and claimed to be an investigator with the “Tate Law Firm” in Texas. Leslie told the citizen that she could pay $2,700 to have the arrest warrant cancelled. When the citizen did not agree, “Leslie” transferred her to someone who posed as a lawyer and tried to convince the citizen to pay the $2,700 amount. When the citizen still would not agree, the lawyer transferred her back to “Leslie” who offered to resolve the matter for approximately $1,500.

“I urge everyone who receives this type of phone call to be very skeptical,” said Brian T. Underwood, United States Marshal for the District of Idaho. “Those who receive similar calls should contact the local U.S. Marshal’s office to verify, as this is not a typical way or resolving warrant related matters.”

It is a crime for an individual to falsely represent himself or herself as a federal official or Deputy United States Marshal. Accordingly, this scam and any similar fraudulent conduct will be investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, in partnership with the FBI.